Curiosity killed the crab! (murtabak)

Previously when I last visited Taman Serasi Food Garden (1 Cluny Road), I saw that the Indian store offered crab murtabak and I thought that it might be good since Yummy Crab was around. Now, I'm not sure if there was any connection between the crab that's being used for both stalls. But I've finally tried the crab murtabak and it was a major letdown. Quite disappointing because I was hoping they would be good. I imagine they could have taken off well if it were.


The person making the prata actually told me that crab meat was expensive and not to expect too much out of it. Comparing to the $18 fried rice at Yummy Crab, this $6 crab murtabak didn't even have a third of the portion of crab that the fried rice had. On top of that, the crab meat was minced. With only a handful of the meat thrown in with some shredded cheese, fresh green chilli slices and loads of raw onions, I couldn't really taste any crab. It was mostly cheese and onions. Totally unspectacular. This stall also took a long time to process the orders and gave an attitude that showed they didn't care if you weren't happy for the long wait. I did also unfortunately ordered a serving of Indian rojak and requested for a re-fry to get the food heated. When the rojak arrived, I was sure that nothing was fried but the stall owner claimed that it had been and that I took too long to come back for the collection. Seriously, that was one uber lame service. I was sure I didn't waited that long that the food had turned cold. This is where I'll tell myself I'll be back - not!

One man's meat is another's displeasure

Are food bloggers pest to be stomped under a boot or do you think we deserve to continue our opportunities to present you the voyeuristic world of our eating trips? Why are certain people so tight assed about photography in their premises? Privacy is mostly bullshit. There is little of it preserved in the first place since restaurants are open to all in the public. What's the uproar really about on some little pictorial tokens of a visit?

Come in and share your love.

Committing the Original Sin...again

It's been some time since my last visit. Got the same impressions as it did the last time, which I thought is still a good thing. It was good because there was consistency.

Managed to get better photos of the Mezze plate and the Bosco misto. Still impressed that tofu patties can be made to taste that good.

Mezze plate

I didn't manage to figure out what made the dips on the mezze plate previously. This time round, I found out. There's are hummus, labneh, a pumpkin & carrot mash with some seeds and babaganoush. The pita was served piping hot and was good with the dips. I had to ask for more servings of the bread since there were much more dips than the bread.

Bosco misto

magic mushroom

Was taken in by the magic mushroom which featured a portobello mushroom filled with a creamy ricotta cheese and spinach, topped with a tomato basil sauce and pine nuts. The magic in this magic mushroom for me was the ricotta cheese; pretty much the bulk of the filling on top of the portobello cap. It's also pretty filling for something from the starters. Would love to have it again. Magic mushroom did it's magic.

Sweet secrets

It's not often that I shovel a spoonful of tiramisu into my mouth and I get that "wow, this is good stuff". The most memorable was probably the first time. 17 years ago at Pasta Fresca. Throughout the next 17 till today, there have been good ones, bad ones and mixed feeling ones and my general take is that everywhere has their standards and some taste better to certain people than another. This dessert is almost upon receiving the award of the most ubiquitous non-local desserts of this past decade and it's something that in recent years I've gotten jaded with and pushed down the preferential ladder.

Last night, after dinner, we stopped by Da Paolo's Gastronomia to check out what culinary goodies was left a little less than an hour before it closed and decided to pick up a box of tiramisu along with some cheesecake. I remember one of the staff in the stall who happed to be nearby saying "You can't go wrong with that". Boy was she right.

What made this tiramisu stand out is the excellent and almost viscous soft marscapone fillings which does not appear in most tiramisu elsewhere. I don't know how pervasive is that since I do not go around eating that dessert at every opportunity, but this comes quite close to the traditional method of how they are made. In comparison with the poorer clones that comes with hard cream fillings or dry without the slightest hint of liquor which, this is almost.....ALMOST divine. Also this tiramisu comes blanketed with fine cocoa flakes instead of the regular cocoa powder. Does help reduce the choke factor when you eat them fast. There're probably other good ones around that are equally as good. For now, I know where to find one if I need to.

What are your views on tipping for service?

Seeing that there is some interest generated in this topic, I've decided to bring things up front so that you can have your say about what you think about tipping. Let's stay civil with this and keep the conversation trail contained in that link here instead.

Noodle Place Restaurant, Centrepoint

Noodle Place Restaurant (#01-53/56, Centrepoint), a Hong Kong styled noodle restaurant has been around in the secluded back of Centrepoint for many years. Tends to be overlooked by many because of the location though that did not seem to be a deterrence against queues of the initiated waiting for seats.

 

One of the highlights of Noodle Place is their selection of roast meats. Which includes roasted chicken, steamed chicken, roasted duck, soya sauce chicken, roasted pork belly, barbecued ribs and char siew. The quality of the mixed roast meats were evidenced by the number of tables that ordered them in some combination or another. Enjoyed the duck, pork belly and char siew that came with some fat. 

 

Another dish I found enjoyable was the crispy fried cod which was available without sauce or like this one which was done with egg white and teriyaki sauce. Fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The starchy gravy didn't particularly add much to the dish but I found myself enjoying it. Might be because of the egg.

 

Mayo wasabi prawns are on the menu. This dish consisted of battered fried prawns that are coated in a sauce that was a mixture of mayonnaise and wasabi paste. Tasted okay, the mayo wasabi cream was quite mild and leaned towards the sweet side. Think a bit more of the wasabi flavour would be nice. That made the ones I had at Peach Garden a notch better.

 

The beef brisket noodles from this restaurant were pretty good. Generous when compared with the portions of the briskets that are served at Crystal Jade. Meat was succulent and tender.